Although the Pony Express was only in operation for 18
months in 1860 and 1861, it has captured the imagination of generations
of people around the world. Hollenberg Station, built in 1858 by Gerat
J. and Sophia Hollenberg, served as both a stop for the Pony Express and
a way station for travelers passing through Kansas on the California and
Oregon Trails.

When the Pony Express went bankrupt it cost the Hollenberg's
hundreds of dollars. Traffic on the Oregon and California trails diminished
during and after the Civil War and the Hollenberg turned to general farming.
Each year, fewer travelers stopped at the station for a meal or an overnight
rest.

Today, Hollenberg Pony Express Station near Hanover,
Kansas is a national historic landmark managed by the Kansas State
Historical Society. A modest visitor's center and parking lot is located
1/8 mile east of the station, though there is handicap parking much closer
and all visitors are encouraged to use that lot in bad weather. The visitor's
center has a one gallery museum, small gift shop, and a theater where one
or both of two videos lasting a total of 45 minutes may be viewed.

But what about the "haunted" part you ask?
So did I.

Several web sites claim that Hollenberg Station is haunted.
They report strange sounds and cold spots in the Station, then go so far
as to say that the ghosts of Pony Express riders are heard and seen passing
along the old route. Most of these web sites aren't very convincing - it
isn't even clear that their creators have visited Hollenberg Station. One
site even displays a photo of a building that is unrelated to the Station.

But one website did seem a bit more serious, so I risked
looking foolish and asked the volunteers working at Hollenberg Station
about the ghost stories. The staff said that a book was published that
said the station is haunted, but that so far as they knew, no one has ever
reported unusual sightings or sounds. One woman did say that Hollenberg
Station feels a bit spooky when you are there alone and it is quiet. But
nothing more.

The director of Hollenberg Station was absent the day
I visited, but the volunteers reported that he is skeptical about the ghost
stories. He has said that he might stay overnight at the station to dispel
rumors, but he hadn't done that as of that time. I suggested they make
some "Haunted Hollenberg Pony Express Station" T-shirts. Ghosts sell!

Hollenberg Pony Express Station is just north of Hanover
off Kansas Highway 148, one mile east on K-243. The grounds and exterior
of the Station can been visited when the site is closed and there is a
picnic area.

Hollenberg Pony Express Station Visitor's Center

Display in Visitor Center museum

Hollenberg Pony Express Station during the The 28th Annual Pony Express
Festival

Hollenberg Station kitchen

Cellar entrance from the kitchen

Cutaway shows the 3 layers of wall construction.

The small door leads to the attic where Pony Express riders and other
visitors slept.